HIGHEST PERCENTAGE SUBMISSIONS IN BJJ

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a game of strategy, where two combatants will face off in the centre of the mats with one goal in mind, to submit their opponent. There are a lot of variables that go into a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match like size, strength, age, and the rank of the competitors. These factors can dictate how the fight will usually go, but for the majority of fights each competitor has a 50/50 chance of winning. It comes down to the mindset of each individual, and how they strategize to out maneuver their opponent. There is a huge variety of different submission maneuvers that athletes can access, with some of them extremely basic jiu jitsu submissions, and other ones much more advanced. 

What this article covers:

• The Modern Submission Game
• The Traditional Submission Game
• Reliable Guard Submissions
• High Percentage Submissions from The Top Game

When it comes down to winning a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match, a competitor needs to have a comprehensive game plan, as well as different back up plans. An athlete can't just rip out any old technique, and expect it to work against another high level competitor, instead they need a flow chain of submission systems they can use to bait, and trap their opponent.

Learn the BEST SUBMISSIONS FROM OPEN AND CLOSED GUARD from up and coming competitor Helena Crevar and BJJFanatics.com!

Sometimes going up against high quality opponents means that the athlete will need to think about which submission has a higher percentage chance of working. This is where the debate comes into play, as the modern grappler will say the leg entanglement game is much more efficient, but the traditional competitor will stick to more proven submissions like a rear naked choke, the guillotine, the kimura, the arm bar, or the triangle. 

THE MODERN SUBMISSION GAME

In the modern era of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu there has been a multitude of innovations. Creative thinkers like Eddie Bravo, and John Danaher have revolutionised how their respective styles have impacted the grappling community. The leg entanglement game has become the premier style for up and coming athletes to mold their game styles. Utilising submissions like the heel hook, the knee bar, the toe hold, the calf slicer, and the bjj banana split have all become highly effective submission maneuvers. The leg entanglement position has a uniquely diverse series of guard entries that all stem from the ashi garami position. Systems like the rubber guard have also become extremely efficient in No Gi grappling, and Mixed Martial Arts. Many world class athletes are adding the intricate movements developed by the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu academy to their arsenal. This high percentage series of movements has showcased just how effective this detailed control system can be. 

THE TRADITIONAL SUBMISSION GAME

Some of the most dangerous bjj submission maneuvers have come from the traditional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu move list. When Helio Gracie first began teaching the art to his students, his submission system included iconic chokes like the rear naked choke, the cross collar choke, the guillotine choke, and the arm triangle. Arm locks also played a huge part, as the iconic arm bar, arm cutter, kimura, and americana were highly efficient submission moves used in competition. The traditional element of easy to execute submissions, is still highly valuable to the highest level of world class athletes. Some of the traditionalists have shunned many of the modern style of techniques, due to its ineffective structure, and how it can waste the time of an athlete. Sticking to fundamental principles in all aspects of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, just seems like the smarter move. An athlete that uses less movements on the way to a submission, means that there are less chances of an opponent defending the move. This is why traditional submission moves are much higher percentage than these new age moves like the buggy choke, or a choke that involves too many steps. 

RELIABLE GUARD SUBMISSIONS 

Being a guard player in the modern era has its own set of unique challenges. The ferocity of a dynamic guard passer can make using guard techniques extremely difficult. Nowadays athletes have reliable systems to defend submissions, and they will use that as a way to pass the guard. So guard playing athletes need to be careful in which submission moves they try to attempt. Going for low percentage, or unrealistic submission attempts will only get an athlete in trouble, as they will commonly be stuck in precarious positions. This is why guard players need to tighten up their control systems, and make sure that an opponent firstly has a hard time passing their guard, and secondly falls right into their series of traps. It is always a smart idea to lead an opponent into a certain way they can pass the guard, so the athlete can set up their sweeps, or submissions unassumingly.

One of the best submission holds in jiu jitsu is the triangle choke. This submission is an iconic choke hold that incorporates an athlete to use the power in their legs to squeeze the neck of their opponent. The triangle has had a profound amount of success on the world class level, as many professional black belts use this extremely diverse weapon from the guard. There are multiple ways to secure a triangle submission, and they can be set up from the guard, the mount, side control, the turtle, and even from the standing position. The easiest way to understand the mechanics of the triangle is to picture shooting an athlete's leg over the neck of their opponent, while their other leg connects together from underneath the armpit. This position is described as the mix, and from here an athlete will use their hand to grip onto their own shin, so they can pull it down trapping the back of their opponent's neck. The opponent’s arm that is trapped in the mix is pulled across their body, and trapped against their own throat, as the athlete locks a triangle with their legs, and looks to squeeze until the opponent taps. 

The arm bar from the guard position is another high percentage submission that all practitioners will utilise. Accessing an arm bar is extremely common, and this is mainly because opponents will over reach with the positioning of their hands. Commonly when an opponent attempts to pass an athlete's guard they should be pressuring the legs, or the hips, so they can move past without too much trouble. This doesn't always go to plan, as an opponent will reach too high up the sternum, or even look to attack the upper body while they are still in the guard position. This is where an athlete can execute a wide range of arm bar set ups, which effectively is a way to isolate one of their opponents arms, in order to hyperextend the elbow joint. Securing the arm bar from the guard only takes a few simple steps, as the athlete will secure the wrist, and the tricep with a two hands on one grip, as they bring the same side foot up onto the hip. The second leg will cut to a forty five degree angle across the back of the shoulder blade up under the armpit, and this will help an athlete to move into a much more attacking angle. Then the athlete will lift their foot from off the hip, sliding it in front of their opponent's face, before sliding two hands onto the wrist, and positioning their thumb upwards, as they hyperextend the elbow joint by lifting their hips. 

The guillotine choke is an iconic submission move that has been used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Mixed Martial Arts. This is another extremely high percentage choke hold that is basically a front headlock position. The guillotine choke is another simplistic move to execute, as all the submission involves is for an athlete to wrap their arm over the neck, as they thread their forearm underneath the throat of their opponent. From here they will connect their hands together, trapping the back of their opponent's head with their chest, and closing the guard, or at least with one leg over the back, and one knee on the inside of their belly to anchor their opponent down, as they lift the pressure of their forearm upwards into the trachea. This submission can be extremely brutal, and will only take a few seconds before the opponent will need to tap.

One of the most effective ways to secure submissions from the guard position is to use leg entanglement entries. The ashi garami position has a number of different variations including the outside ashi, the cross ashi, the standard ashi, or the inside ashi (Otherwise known as the inside sankaku, the 411, or the saddle)  Utilising these type of leg entanglement positions will help an athlete extensively set up one of the deadliest submissions in the modern era of grappling. The inside heel hook is a variation of the heel hook submission that is extremely brutal, and can effectively destroy the anterior cruciate ligament inside the knee.  The mechanics of a heel hook is for an athlete to secure the leg of an opponent, as they push the foot to the inside of their body, while trapping their toes inside their armpits. The athlete will squeeze both of their legs above the knee line to isolate the leg, as they scoop their wrist underneath the heel, connecting their hands together, and twisting the heel toward the outside of their body . This will cause significant torque into the knee, and has become the premier way to submit an opponent in the modern form of No Gi professional grappling.

HIGH PERCENTAGE SUBMISSIONS FROM THE TOP GAME

There are many avenues of attack from the top game, as athletes will utilise guard passing as a way to secure a dominant top position. These positions like the mount, side control, kesa gatame, and even a transition into the back control will help to access a wide range of submission holds. There are a few jiu jitsu submissions from mount that are extremely effective like the arm bar. Just like the arm bar from guard, opponents who are underneath the mount will often extend their arms too far, as they try to frame. This will give the athlete an avenue of attack, as they will hook one of their opponent's arms, swinging their leg over the head, as they pivot into an isolation of the arm. The athlete will transition into a seated position, squeezing the arm with both of their knees, as they secure a two handed grip on the wrist of their opponent. From here they will extend the arm with the thumb facing up, as they lift their hips to hyperextend the elbow. There are a number of different ways to attack the arm bar from the top position, as an athlete will commonly use different baiting transitions to trap an opponent into different sorts of arm bar submissions.

One of the most dominant submissions from the mount position is the cross collar choke. This choke is one of the most traditional submissions taught in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and is utilised by choking an opponent with their own lapels. Gi chokes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are extremely brutal, as the lapel can act like a rope around the neck of the opponent. To set up the cross collar choke the athlete will simply secure a cross grip placing four fingers inside the collar, and one thumb on the outside, as they cross over with their other hand securing a collar grip, or a grip on the shoulder. From here they will drive their elbows towards the mat, tightening the lapel around their opponent's neck in a scissoring motion. This choke can be extremely hard to defend once the opponent is deep in the trap.

The arm triangle choke is one of the highest percentage submissions from the mount. It is also an extremely high percentage submission from the side control position. Utilising choke holds that are extremely versatile, and can be accessed from a range of different positions can be highly beneficial to an athlete in BJJ. Athletes will usually master a certain type of submission, and once they can use this submission system from a range of different positions, their attacks will become even more deadly. The arm triangle is one of those submissions that is highly functional, and can be used off of the back of other submission entries. Using a gift wrap is one way to secure the arm triangle, or baiting an opponent with an americana, or kimura from mount is another way to slip into the arm triangle choke. The basic mechanics of this choke is for an athlete to wrap their arm around their opponent's neck, while they trap their tricep with their head. This will create an arm triangle position, as the athlete connects their hands together, and looks to dismount into the side control position. The athlete will then lower their body to the floor, and look to secure pressure to the neck with their shoulder, and the momentum of the downward pressure. The arm triangle has proven to be an extremely successful submission that even high level athletes will utilise in the modern era of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

The side control position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an extremely versatile position for both the attacker, and the defender. Even though side control is easier to escape from than other dominant positions, it is also a highly functional control system where athletes can attack a wide range of submissions. One of the best submissions of attack from this position is the kimura, and athletes can do this a number of different ways. One of the best ways to set this up is by first securing a gift wrap, and this is when an athlete forces their opponent onto their side, by pushing their top arm underneath their neck, and securing their wrist from behind their back. From here the athlete can thread their other arm through the armpit, and secure a grip on their own wrist, and this is called a kimura grip. Once an athlete has this position secured all they have to do is step their knee over their opponent's head into a north south style of position, as they squeeze their knees together to trap their opponent, as they look to rotate their opponents arm towards their back. This shoulder lock is extremely iconic, and was made famous by Masahiko Kimura when he broke Helio Gracie's arm in the mid twentieth century.

Learn the BEST SUBMISSIONS FROM OPEN AND CLOSED GUARD from up and coming competitor Helena Crevar and BJJFanatics.com!

Another extremely important submission, and is the highest percentage submission of them all is the rear naked choke. To secure the back control an athlete can attack from all positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, as the back take has become iconic by many world class athletes like Marcelo Garcia, Gordon Ryan, Marco Tinoco, and Leo Vieira. However an athlete can secure the back take, like a berimbolo, an arm drag, or an under hook, the position is an extremely dominant one. The mechanics of the rear naked choke are simple, and all an athlete needs to do is secure both of their hooks in their opponent's groin, or lock on a body triangle. To finish a rear naked choke the athlete will secure one arm underneath the chin, as it is used to strangle their opponent. The choking arm will link up with their other arm by gripping onto the bicep, while their other hand cups the back of the head, or threads in behind the neck. This choke has proven to be the most efficient of all, as it is statistically the most utilised submission in professional grappling. 

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